


What Comes Next, or, Experiments at the Border

by C-chan (1001paperboxes)



Category: In Other Lands | The Turn of the Story - Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: Asexual Luke Sunborn, F/M, M/M, Multi, Pre-Golden/Elliot Schafer/Serene/Luke Sunborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28140975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1001paperboxes/pseuds/C-chan
Summary: In which the coin lands heads, and Elliot takes a little too much delight in settling near the wall, and spending time with all three of his favourite people.
Relationships: Elliot Schafer/Luke Sunborn, Golden & Elliot Schafer & Serene & Luke Sunborn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	What Comes Next, or, Experiments at the Border

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sinope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinope/gifts).



The coin landed heads. Because of course it did. Because clearly, Elliot was incapable of getting anything he wanted if it didn't involve subterfuge or several carefully worded treatises.

But then, it was probably for the best. After all, alliances generally had their way of shifting over time, and while Elliot knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to the alliance or the mermaid lands, he couldn’t guarantee that someone else wouldn’t use the same outpost as a way to gain control over something that they shouldn’t want, and couldn’t understand.

Part of him knew it was just a matter of time anyway; that sooner or later negotiations would happen in such a way that a Border Guard outpost would be made. And when it did happen, Elliot would make sure that they were stationed there, or that he could have a very strong lean on whoever else was. But any blood there wasn’t going to be on his hands, and that, probably, was blessing enough in itself.

Instead, they settled on an outpost almost right on the border, in a wooded grove, by the stream. Elliot thought that the Elvish name for the grove was prettier, as he thought of most names, and would be trying to make am English-to-Elvish But this was peacetime, and the quiet wasn't a bad thing. And certainly, none of them would be going without. After all, their new home was near trees and water. They were not too far from a small town. And, if he looked hard enough, Elliot could see the wall with the names carved in from the roof of the outpost they now called home.  
map for the full borderlands in his spare time.

“In your spare time?” Luke repeated. 

"Yeah," Elliot replied. "What I really want to do is test the limits of what will, and will not, work across the border."

Luke looked at Elliot strangely, as if he'd grown a second head. "Haven't you been doing that all through school? I seem to remember having to throw a couple of your bags away before they exploded and took out you and whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing by."

"Yeah, yeah, you've got good self-preservation tactics," Elliot replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, there's a lot more things I want to test. How analogue does something have to be to work? How digital does something have to be to fail? And for that matter, from what I've read, most outpost assignments last a couple years, tops. Wherever we end up next might not have such good access to the borderlands. And I _need_ my writing utensils. So, strike while the iron's hot, as they say. Get myself a lifetime supply, or at least enough to last a couple years, and go from there. Now shoo. Let me pack in peace."

Luke kindly didn't point out that Elliot was in _his_ cabin, but went about quietly packing his own things anyway as Elliot collected his stashed contraband and prepared for the journey to come.

* * *

"Commander Woodsinger! You look lovely today." Elliot snapped a quick and lazy salute so she couldn't scold him on that front, grinning all the while.

"Yes," Woodsinger replied with an exasperated sigh. "As it would happen, I am rejoicing that every day brings me one day closer to your graduation and leaving these hallowed halls of education, leaving me in relative peace."

Elliot's grin only widened. "I knew you loved me."

The commander only sighed as she gestured towards the seat across her at her desk. "To what do I owe the dubious honour this time?"

Elliot took the offered seat, and folded his hands together atop the desk.

"Well, Commander, I've been thinking."

"You are wont to do that, yes."

That was a joke! Elliot took that as a good sign. "You see, I realized, you exchange coin with the teachers who bring students to the wall, to see if they can make their way across into the Borderlands."

"Yes; it's a small stipend, and no, we are not buying children; merely paying the teachers for their time. If we were truly buying children, they likely would not be able to come and go as they pleased."

"A good point, but not what I was getting at."

"What, then?"

"If you're paying them, I have to assume you're doing so in British currency, not Borderlands currency."

"That is correct."

"And therefore, we must have a way of gaining access to British funds."

Woodsinger breathed out, a long, slow exhale through her nose. "Ah, so that's what this is about. Yes, we do have access to British funds. The Borderlands technically owns the farm that the wall lies upon. It's easier, that way. It was originally settled centuries ago; originally it was passed through generations of Sunborn relatives, you'll likely be unsurprised to discover, although I don't believe many carried that name. I don't believe its current owners are of that brood, but someone who, like you, decided that they wanted to take the council course, but found the disheartening life of councillors against their better wellbeing. Unlike you, however, they took the route of farming, rather than running into every skirmish they could weasel their way into."

"So they sell the crops, and we get part of the funds?"

"Yes," Commander Woodsinger replied. "And in return, they get the equivalent in Borderlands coin, which generally comes back to this side with the children who come over, or as they visit family who _did_ decide to settle on this side."

"I see," Elliot replied. "Now, I know that Council is offered a stipend while stationed, even though it's far less than what's given to the Guard themselves, which is ridiculous if you ask me, but I'm not here to argue for better wages today." 

Not before he figured out how to raise morale and unionize, anyway.

"I was actually wondering… would it be possible to have part of my funds paid in that British currency?"

Commander Woodsinger gave Elliot a long, hard look, before giving a slow nod. "You're from the Otherlands, and are going to be stationed near the border. It's not an unreasonable request. I'll see what I can do. But Schaefer."

"Yes?"

"Don't make me regret this."

Elliot beamed. "I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

Elliot always thought that moving was meant to be a laborious affair; days and weeks of packing up belongings, planning out spaces in the new residence, and moving over. But it had never really been such for him.

Sure, he planned his moves carefully as he returned to the Borderlands every year, researching and planning technology to bring over, but he'd never been able to bring more than he alone could carry, and there had never been any particular need for planning in the pre-furnished dorms. The outposts, similarly, had provided furnishings, however spartan, only slightly more comfortable than what had been afforded them in the dorms.

Apparently the only real reward of adulthood was a little more privacy, a little more chance at loneliness unless you travelled the hour's march to the next outpost.

But this was peacetime, and the quiet wasn't a bad thing. And certainly, none of them would be going without. After all, their new home was near trees and water. They were not too far from a small town. And, if he looked hard enough, Elliot could see the wall with the names carved in from the roof of the outpost they now called home.

It took them mere hours to move in, to settle their meagre belongings from the dorms into their new homes. Rachel Sunborn promised to visit in a day or two's time, "after you've had some time to settle" and bring a care package of goods she considered essential. Elliot both looked forward to and dreaded finding out what that would mean.

In the meantime, it was nice to simply relax, enjoy a meal that Golden had prepared to "nourish the bodies and souls of elves and humans alike" (it tasted of chestnuts and sage), and plan for the time to come, and their new life together.

* * *

It occurred to Elliot, now that he traversed the open fields towards the small farmhouse in the distance, that he'd never truly thought about who owned the land the fence was on until his recent conversation with Commander Woodsinger. This, perhaps, was an oversight. The land, afterall, had to belong to _someone_. And that someone had to be okay with people constantly trespassing on their way to and from the nearby road, so they could access the Wall and what laid beyond.

But what was done as done, and while he'd neglected such information before, Elliot was certain not to do so now.

The man tending sheep near the farmhouse took one look at him, went, "Oh, you're one of 'em, eh?" and told him to head inside.

He took a longer look as he sat down with a mug of tea in hand, after offering one to Elliot. It might have been the hair. Or the fact that Elliot kept playing with the broken weathervane on the table next to him.

"So, what brings you over to these parts?" the man asked. "You look too young to be a first year for sure; did the war efforts become too much for you after someone you know died perhaps? I know more than one of our kind has left that way."

"Nah, Elliot replied. "Freshly graduated, actually."

"And giving up already?"

Elliot shook his head. "Just got my first outpost, actually. Near the border, stationed with two guards—one of whom is elvish, and her partner."

The man whistles. "An elfmaid, huh? I heard they were quite a sight to behold."

"They certainly are," Elliot replied. "And the gentlemen aren't half bad either."

That earned him a laugh. "Suit yourself, man. But anyway; if you're not looking for a way back to wherever you came from, then what _does_ bring you here?"

"Two things, actually," Elliot replied. "First of all, do you have a computer? And second, would you mind if I were to place the occasional order to this address?"

* * *

Allan Wall, as the man's name turned out to be, did have a computer. It was an ancient beast of a machine, but somehow that seemed only right given the nature of the Otherlands, and those who pass from one side to the other. Elliot considered buying him a replacement, but… later, he thought. When things were a little more established, and he'd had more of a sense of who this Wall guy was, and where the right balance of technology for both of their abilities might lie.

It was only as he was making his way home, his first order placed, that he began to wonder whether or not the man he'd met had a name he'd given up, if he'd found it serendipitous, or if his parents had been having a little too much fun when they gave their child a name that could possibly be translated to _stone wall_.

* * *

Luke had always been rather reticent to get up to much in the dorms. Cuddling was always fine. Kissing was encouraged. Preening Lukes wings wasn't his favourite activity at first, but he warmed up to it as he became more comfortable in his own body, and accepted himself for who he was. But any hand wandering too far would be caught and gripped tight with whispers of "what if Commander Woodsinger walked through the door?"

Elliot had pointed out several flaws in that plan; for one, several trysts took place around campus all the time, and he had been party to _several_ (Luke didn't want to hear about it, especially when it involved Serene). And for another, Commander Woodsinger would likely send one of her male subordinates to check on her male cadets, to keep a veneer of propriety (Luke groaned and covered his head with a pillow at that one).

But now, there was no-one to interrupt them, save for Serene and Golden, who Elliot had on good authority would be _otherwise occupied_ for several hours. (Elven women, after all, were well known for their stamina. Especially in their youth.)

And so, Elliot set off to the bedroom he shared with his own paramour, a pack of condoms from his test order in hand, as he set off to find out just how satisfying a Sunborn truly was as a lover.

* * *

Luke was definitely inexperienced, but still was good in bed; definitely a better lover than he'd ever found in Jase, and very receptive to directions to put his hand _here_ and to use his mouth like _that_.

It was satisfying. It was, if not perfect, still amazing. In his mind, he could imagine Louise giving him a high five, and he compartmentalized that reaction away to think about sometime preferably _far_ later.

It was also something he wasn't sure if he would do again.

Not with the way Luke looked; not quite horrified or disgusted but… like he'd rather be doing taxes, or out battling bandits, than enjoying that particular form of intimacy.

And perhaps it was just the inexperience talking. Or maybe he was onto something. But there would be time for talk later. For now, it was Luke's turn to go on patrol, and time for Elliot to cross the border once again.

* * *

"What are those?" Serene asked, pushing some of Elliot's now chin-length hair behind his ears so he could better see their adornments.

"Fake elf eartips," Elliot replied. "Based on what my side of the border thinks that elf ears look like."

"How quaint!" Serene replied. "I must say, they're not too far off, though the rounded shape your ears lend still ruins the effect somewhat."

"I know," Elliot replied. "I was hoping to see if they'd serve as prosthetics with those whose ears have been too severely damaged beyond what's considered mere battle scars.

Serene hummed in thought. "Perhaps they might! However, before we dig too deep into discussion on this matter, I must ask: What is _that?_ "

"Oh, that?" Elliot asked, tilting his head towards the burning pile of plastic and metal he'd abandoned some fifty metres back (one of the ear tips fell off). "That was a discman. Apparently tape cassettes are the limit of audio technology that can survive the border's magics."

* * *

Getting to know Golden was an ongoing challenge. This wasn't a bad thing, really; simply a case of a well-guarded gentleman slowly opening up to others outside his circles. It probably didn't help that Elliot had once been "the other man," though after only a day of each other's company, it seemed any preconceived notions based on that assumption had been thrown out the window. And, over the course of their time in school together, as Elliot gave private lessons to supplement the knowledge given in class and catch Golden up on what he might have missed, and as Golden laughed at Elliot's complaints of being less good at war than an elven gentleman of all people, they began to build a rapport.

Getting to know Golden was also an ongoing delight. And as he learned more and more, Elliot could feel himself being drawn to Golden as they spent time together while the other two were off on their swordsistering. Golden taught Elliot the proper way to write Elven letters, and told stories of finishing school. Elliot taught Golden how to use tape decks and egg beaters, and shared some of the experiences he'd had growing up in the Otherlands, and going to school with Luke and Serene.

"I _knew_ she must have had help," Golden exclaimed. "Her letters were always so formlike, full of exploits and brags and not one true whit of interest in what I myself fancied. And then suddenly, that changed for no discernable reason. But it was _you!_ "

"Guilty as charged," Elliot laughed. "I still love that you just wrote 'drivel' on the one."

"And drivel it was," Golden replied. "One would think that there would be merit in teaching a woman how to write well; especially if they are to be involved in the writing of treatises. For if they cannot be diplomatic in the home, how can they hope to be diplomatic on the field?"

"A good question indeed," Elliot replied. "Though Serene has always been quite decent with a pen when given the chance, I'm afraid her true heart lies on the battlefield."

"As any warrior's should," Golden agreed. "But all the better to have a gentleman around who knows his way with words and diplomacy."

"I can't tell if you mean me or yourself, but I'll drink to that either way."

And clinking cups of homemade mead, they did just that.

Golden was quiet for a moment after that, considering his words carefully.

"You know," he said at last. "I don't regret giving my troth to Serene at all. She has proven herself again and again, endured every test I've sent with aplomb, even if it has taken some time for her to grasp their lessons. And yet…."

"And yet?" Elliot repeated, sipping the golden liquid once more.

"And yet, I see why she may have fallen for you, too. And sometimes I do find myself wondering if there is not something in a man's charm that is lacking in any woman's."

Well, if Elliot hadn't already wanted to marry Golden when they first met, he'd sure want to marry him now.

* * *

"Listen up, Loser."

Luke looked up from the desk upon which he'd been writing just as Elliot dropped three books upon it.

"You and I need to have a talk."

Luke sighed. "I'm going to guess that this has something to do with… a sexuality, huh?"

"It's pronounced _asexuality_ and yes. But can we do this on the bed?"

Luke shrugged, stood up, and at Elliot's silent behest (aka standing with his arms out and smiling), picked him up and flew them across the room, hovering mere inches from the ground until they crashed onto the bed.

Luke was first to right himself, of course, tucking his wings away as he made himself comfortable, and hugging a pillow to his front. 

"So, what _is_ this about?"

Elliot sighed. He'd be hoping to be the one with the pillow, but figured it would seem awkward if they both did it, so he reached his hand over instead, brushing up against Luke's hands until he relented and offered one to him in return.

"Look. We had sex the other night."

"Yes, we did."

"And you didn't like it."

Luke frowned. "It's not that I didn't _like_ it, it's just—"

Elliot shook his head. "Your excuse was always time and privacy. And we had that now, so you couldn't use it. So you thought you'd give it a chance. Am I right so far?"

Luke fidgeted. His wings, Elliot thought, were twitching. "Kind… of?"

Well, that was interesting. "What do you mean, _kind of_?"

"I mean…" He took a deep breath. "You're kind of right about the why now; we had the privacy and the space, and I know that the rest of you all like… and my whole bloody family _really_ likes…"

"But it's never appealed to you."

Luke sighed, his wings stilling. "Never."

"And, while you were quite a good and receptive lover, I got the feeling that you didn't really want to be there."

"But I _love_ you and I _want_ —"

"I know." And with that, Elliot scooted closer, hugging Luke close for a long moment before pressing his forehead against Luke's. "But that's what I want to talk to you about. This is… probably one of the other reasons you wanted to put yourself down before, isn't it? You have wings, you don't want sex, and neither of those are normal, virile, Sunborn traits."

"Yeah…."

"And there's nothing wrong, or weird, or unnatural about either of those things."

 _That's_ when Luke backed away far enough to look properly at Elliot, eyes wide.

"Some people, like myself, have the capability to like everyone. And to want to sleep with all sorts of people. People named Jase, and people named Myra. People named Luke, and people named Serene. We call that bisexuality. Or pansexuality. There's some differences, and I'll go into them later, if you want, but you already know the basics there. There are also people, like you, I think, who want to sleep with no-one. We call that asexuality. A- meaning none, in this context."

Luke frowned. "But I still love you."

"I know," Elliot replied. "And, normally, when we talk about someone about being straight or gay, bi or pan, we assume that it's true for both romance and sex. It's not always. And it's more obvious when it comes to asexuality. But, you can be homoromantic—and like people named Elliot, for example—" (he fluttered his eyelashes) "and want to kiss them and make a life together and maybe even have kids together, but not want to _sleep_ with them. You can also be bi- or pan-romantic, and want to do that with more than one type of people. Or polyromantic, and want to do that with several people at once. Or heteroromantic, and want to do it with someone with a name more like Myra or Serene. It's all possible. It's all valid."

Luke took in a long breath through his nose, and out again. "And the books?"

Elliot shrugged. "Proof; some extra reading so you can get a feeling of what asexuality is from other people who actually got it. I figured, even if I was completely wrong, there'd be someone over here who could use them."

"Those books look rather different than the books we have over here."

"I know," Elliot replied. "But they didn't go up in smoke, so I assume they're still good to go."

That got a pillow thrown at him, but it was followed by a tackle and deep kiss, so Elliot assumed he was forgiven for bringing his experimentation into the bedroom.

* * *

"What's that?" Luke asked the next day as he made his way into the kitchen, where Elliot and Golden were pulling various items out of a box.

"I got us a food subscription," Elliot replied. "I thought you'd appreciate trying such otherworldly delights as red peppers and matcha kit-kats."

Luke glared slightly at the red pepper. "Isn't that an invasive species?"

"Technically speaking, yes," Elliot replied, tilting his head back so he could look at Luke upside-down from his chair. "But also technically speaking, so are we."

* * *

"I've been reading the books you gave me," Luke said, one night a month later.

"Oh good. You've figured out how to join words together at last."

That garnished him a roll of the eyes, but not another tossed pillow, so Elliot considered it a successful diss.

"Anyway, yeah. A lot of it is contradictory."

"Because there's a lot of different experiences that fall under the same umbrella, just like how there are a lot of people on this side of the border with a little elf, or harpy, or dwarf blood, who still consider themselves _human_."

"I'm gathering that, yeah." Luke took in a deep breath, meeting Elliot's eyes. "You're somewhere more on the polyamourous end, aren't you?"

"Admittedly, yes," Elliot admitted.

"And polysexual?"

"Also yeah."

"As well as the bi…"

"Yeah. Poly and Ace are far more opposite than bi and ace are."

"And it's possible to be polyamourous, but still asexual."

"Absolutely. Where is this going?"

Luke took in another breath. "I'm… not going to hold you back. My family likes being virile, yeah, and I know you're not quite… I mean, if you wanted to… but…" Luke's face went deep red.

"Woah, it's okay, I don't need to have sex with everyone, and definitely not with any other Sunborn. It's fine."

"I know," Luke replied. "But. Um. If you wanted to. Have sex with other people. I… I think I'm all right with that. Just. Let me know when, if I'm at all around. And then don't tell me any of the details beyond that."

Now it was Elliot's turn for his eyes to go wide. "Are you sure?"

Luke gave a grave nod. "I've been thinking about this for a while. Even before the books and the talks. Flirtation is a fairly standard tactic for you. And for the most part, it's gone well."

"Except for with the trolls," Elliot added. "I'm nowhere near stoic enough for them."

"Except for the trolls," Luke agreed, still quite pink. "Anyway. I'm fine with you keeping that up. I don't think I'll get too jealous. And if I do…."

"If you do, we talk it over again, and renegotiate," Elliot promised.

"Yeah," Luke breathed.

Elliot nodded, silent for a moment as he took this all in.

"But all that said, I have a counterproposal for you."

Luke looked up at him. "Oh?"

* * *

Pizza, as it happened, could be delivered to a farmhouse much easier than it could to the side of the road in the middle of a field.

Pizza also, as it happened, did not burst into flames as it crossed into the border.

The time it took to traverse meant that it wasn't entirely warm anymore upon arrival, but Elliot didn't consider that a huge loss. Hot pizza was great, but cold pizza was pretty good too. And he wanted his first pizza in almost two years to be had with _everyone_ he loved.

To that point, Serene, Golden, and Luke were all gathered around the small dining table when Elliot returned; he assumed that one of them had spotted him, and had prepared the table accordingly so they'd be ready for his return.

Serene and Golden took a few bites, and Luke's eyes went wide as he dug in, but Elliot held back, looking them over for a long minute, before speaking.

"So. Luke and I were talking the other night. And, I think we'd like to open up our relationship. How would you guys like to try something a little more openly romantic between the four of us?"

There would be plenty of time to experiment and renegotiate as they found out what they liked, what worked, and what failed. But now, as Elliot took his first bite, Elliot imagined it would be much like the pizza itself: a little messy, a little cheesy, and definitely imperfect. But still worth every moment spent, and worth savouring every morsel.


End file.
